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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28443210">Her Sister's Keeper</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trivena_Butterfly/pseuds/Trivena_Butterfly'>Trivena_Butterfly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Girl Genius (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:34:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28443210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trivena_Butterfly/pseuds/Trivena_Butterfly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A brief glimpse of what happened in Sturmhalten, in an AU where things are still recognisably the same, but also very, very different.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Her Sister's Keeper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447533">A Boy Genius and His Weasel</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoryMercury/pseuds/RoryMercury">RoryMercury</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He'd been waiting in the cell for what seemed like hours, and probably <em>had</em> been. The princess who seemed to be in charge also seemed like the sort of person who would keep you waiting, nervous and scared, just because she could.</p><p>He didn't perk up at the sound of footsteps approaching. It seemed more sensible to wait, and find out who they belonged to first. This turned out to be the correct choice, for it was the younger princess, the terrifying one, gently swinging a wicker cage, which she tossed carelessly into the cell with him.</p><p>"I've brought you some company, since she seemed to be so concerned about your well-being. <em>Do</em> try not to damage it; it's some of my finest work." This last, he thought, might have been addressed to the cage, or rather, whatever was inside it.</p><p>He waited until she had left before examining the cage. It contained, he found, a tiny weasel, its fur a far ruddier shade than was normal for the species. There was a miniature pair of pince-nez firmly perched on its nose.</p><p>"I cannot <em>believe</em> she actually did that!" came an outraged squeak.</p><p>He peered at the animal. Did the weasel just...</p><p>It looked up at him, and noticed his confusion.</p><p>"Agathon," it sighed. "It's me. Tarveka."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This story is a brief glimpse into my interpretation of an AU brainstormed by the Girl Genius Discord, featuring genderswapped versions of only Tarvek, Agatha, and Gil.</p><p>With no Heterodyne Girl, Lucrezia's plans with the Summoning Engine are doomed to fail, but that doesn't stop Aaronev from trying it on his Sparky elder daughter, Tarveka, when he starts getting desperate. Afterwards, her sister, Anevka, breaks through trying to save her, but is only partially successful, and Tarveka remains alive but extremely ill and weak. When Master Payne's Circus passes through Sturmhalten, Agathon's voice sets off the harmonics detectors, and Aaronev invites him to dinner in the hopes of learning more of what happened to Lucrezia, and where her anticipated daughter might be.</p><p>The usual dominos fall, albeit without Lucrezia. Anevka still kills Aaronev, but she sees Agathon as a path to power for <i>herself</i>, as "the Heterodyne's wife" is a much surer and more immediately-accessible position than "prospective mother of a potential Storm King". Tarveka starts growing a conscience and having second thoughts over letting Anevka keep Agathon imprisoned and manipulating him; Anevka grows tired of tolerating her sister's efforts to act as some kind of "voice of reason" and getting in her way, and transfers her mind to a weasel.</p><p>Weasel-Tarveka <i>can</i> talk: making the tiny larynx of a least weasel speech-capable was incredibly delicate work, and Anevka is rightfully proud of it. She also still has pince-nez, probably because Anevka thought it would be hilarious.</p><p>Anevka insists on accompanying Agathon to claim his birthright. When they reach Mechanicsburg, Gillina Wulfenbach follows Agathon into the Castle. When they encounter Zola, still attempting the "False Heterodyne Girl" plan since Agathon's existence remains unknown to the world at large, Anevka pays no attention to Gillina's pleas to let her live: Zola is competition, and Gillina being her sister's former classmate is no reason to listen to her, after all.</p><p>When the siege is at its peak, it's Gillina whom Martellus kidnaps through the portal, and tries to tie to himself in the hopes of a political marriage (his attempts to seduce her are hilariously clumsy and go over like a lead balloon. Gillina is not amused). This does not go well for him, as biology is one of Gillina's specialties; she easily works out what he's done, and how he's botched it, and is <i>sorely</i> tempted to just fix herself and watch Martellus' effort backfire on him for a day or so.</p><p>The detail of Tarveka retaining her pince-nez as a weasel was taken directly from RoryMercury's <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447533">lovely illustration</a>.</p></blockquote><div class="children module" id="children">
  <b class="heading">Works inspired by this one:</b>
  <ul>
    <li>
        <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28447533">A Boy Genius and His Weasel</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoryMercury/pseuds/RoryMercury">RoryMercury</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</div></div></div>
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